問:英文倒裝句法(inversion)是怎樣用的?
答:「倒裝」即把動詞置於主詞(subject)之前,那動詞一般是輔助動詞(auxiliary verb)。英文問句通常都用這種句法。
有時,為加強語氣,never、seldom、hardly、scarcely、little、only、not
only、no sooner、in / under no
circumstances、in neither case等帶否定含義的詞語,置於句前,句子就須倒裝,例如:(1)Never have I seen so big an animal(=I
have never seen so big an animal我從沒見過這樣龐大的動物)。(2)In neither case should you take action(=You
should take action in neither case兩個情況之下,你都不要動手)。
又outside、inside、on、under、along、in front of、here、there等表示方向或所在的副詞(adverbial of place),置於句前,句子也須倒裝,而句中的動詞多是be(即is、were等)、come、go、lie、stand等,例如:(1)Inside the room was an old man(=An
old man was inside the room房間裏有個老人)。(2)Here
comes the postman(郵差來了)。留意here、there開頭的句子,假如主詞是代名詞,則不用倒裝,例如:Here he comes。
倒裝句法還會用於回應別人的說話,例如Neither / Nor is Peter(彼得也不是)、So should you(你也應該如此)。此外,假設句If I had seen him、If
he were to go、If it should rain等,可倒裝為Had
I seen him、Were he to go、Should
it rain等。限於篇幅,不詳說了。